Is this right?

L

lindsey

Guest
Hi

We got our first Axolotl last week, she's only a baby, about 3 inches long. The pet shop didn't seem to know much about them, so the only info we've got is from books and the internet, but they all seem to differ.

She's in a 24" tank, and the water is 3 or 4 inches deep. The water is untreated but left to stand for 24 hours, and is around 20.5 degrees C. Not sure about the pH. The gravel is about 6mm, but we're planning on getting larger stones tomorrow, as we've seen her pick up (and spit out) a few stones. We feed her 3 or 4 bloodworms a day (from frozen). Is this too much/not enough?

She's looking a little bit fat, so we were wondering if we're feeding her too much, and she's been floating a bit. She did gulp some air when she ate earlier, so is this anything to worry about? Should we move her to somewhere a little cooler?

We really love her and we want to make sure she's ok!

(Message approved by jennewt)
 
she probably just hasnt let her air back out yet, if she continues floating let us know though. feed her enough so her tummy looks normal, not too plump. axies dont have a 'full button' and they dont know when to stop eating so dont just let her eat and eat lol.

just wondering if you cycled your tank before hand?
 
No, we didn't cycle the water, just aged it a bit. I don't really know much about cycling, is it for the Nitrates or something? I think I'll pick up a kit to test that sort of thing.

(Message approved by jennewt)
 
heres a link on that- http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/cyclingEDK.shtml

in the meantime you can either take the axie out of the tank and into a smaller bowl doing water changes every day (100%) or keep him in the tank and do enough water changes to keep everything down, doing water changes on a cycling tank is going to slow the cycle down alot, i would advise moving him out and waiting the cycle out- its alot easier lol

the things you want to test for during the cycle are ammonia, nitrIte and nitrAtes. a ph test is handy but isnt ultra important.

good luck!
 
For a 3 inch axolotl in a 24 " tank you don't have to worry to much about cycling. If the tank is 24 " long it is probably fairly big. You didn't give length, width and height dimensions so I am guessing. If the tank is not full to the top fill it. Run a decent biological filter. Depending on what is in your water standing out might not be enough to dechlorinate. Why not use it straight from the tap with chlorine chloramine remover? Keep it cool. If the tank is the size I think you shouldn't have to worry to much about the ammonia spiking with one little axolotl. Cycling and balancing a tank is important. You need some bioload to cycle. One way is to add a little axolotl to a big tank.
 
good point michael, keep an eye on the water though, just incase- little axies would probably be a bit more sensitive than the bigger ones.
 
Hi! thanks for all the advice (i've registered now!) i have another question though now, the weather has just become very warm, it being summer and all and i'm worried about the temperature. i have two thermometers, one strip one that sticks to the outside of the tank and one that sticks on the inside and dips in the water, they both read differently (varies around 2-3 degrees) but i am more inclined to trust the stick one on the inside which reads a little lower than the other. its is about 20 - 22 degrees, i have moved her into a cooler room and bought a fan, i leave it on all day but switch it off at night, i think she might be a little stressed about the temperature fluctuations as her tail is slightly curved. i was thinking, should i move her downstairs where it will be cooler? please give me advice! thanks!
 
20-22 is an ok temperature. its only dangerous if it goes 24 or above.
 
Coming up for air... My axolotls keep comong up to gulp air, this has been happening for almost 2 weeks now.. is this a sign of stress, or is this normal behaviour

(Message approved by ed)
 
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